Louver type window construction



Sept. 9, 1958 .w. B. Brumm-:R` l y 2,850,773 I LOUVER TYPE WINDOWCONSTRUCTION .I

' Filed Feb. 19, 1955 4 sheets-sheet 1 3 Jaa l Y j/ ///x INVENTOR I BYATTORNEYS w. B. BRIMMR Louvnn 'ma wnmow cons'raucnou Sept. 9, 1958 4usneetssneer 2 Filed Feb. 10, 1955 I VENTOR ATTO R N EY5 Spt.` 9, 1958w..B. BRlMMER v2,850,773

y l LOWER' TYPE WINDOW' CONSTRUCTION Filedreb. 1o, 1955 4 sheets-sheet sd BY CWMZEJCLW/ ab ATTORNEYS w. B. -BRIMMER l mum 'ma mmow consrnucrrousept. 9, ,1958

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l Filed Feb. 10. 1955,

l g l a l a f r 1 l 5 l lll/1111111lll/110011111111111 INVENTOR hm/3.6'

ATTORNEYS Unite States Patent O LOUVER TYPE WINDOW CONSTRUCTIUN WilliamB. Brimmer, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

Application February 10, 1955, Serial No. 487,377

S Claims. (Cl. 2li-42) This invention relates to louver type closuresfor window or similar openings and more particularly to closures of thistype wherein a plurality of elongated Sash members are pivoted betweenthe jambs of the window upon horizontal axes, the sashes being providedwith suitable operating mechanism whereby the lower edges of all of themcan be swung outwardly and upwardly in unison in order to open thewindow and downwardly and inwardly in order to close the window. Thebottom edge of each sash is customarily arranged to slightly overlap theupper edge of the immediately subjacent sash when the Window is closed.In the present disclosure, the invention is illustrated in forms whichare primarily designed for use in window openings and, generally, itwill be referred to as a window although I wish it to be understood thatit is in no sense to bel limited to window openings because, as will beobvious, it can be used equally well in other openings of similar type.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a windowconstruction the parts of which, and especially the sash members, aremounted in such a manner as to main substantial balance during openingor closing movement so that the opening or closing operation can beperformed with a minimum of effort and so that no more power is requiredto open the window than to close it and so that the sashes will remainset at any desired degree of opening without the necessity of somespecial provision for holding them in their chosen position ofadjustment.

Another object of this invention is to provide a window of the typedescribed in which there are no arms, braces or stays extending from thejambs to the stiles of the sashes.

A further object is to provide a window of the type described in whichthe sashes will assume a position within the jambs, when the window isopen, such as to afford a maximum of protection against ingress of rainregardless of the direction from which the rain may come.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a window of thecharacter described in which all of the operating mechanism may becontained within or arranged adjacent to one of the jambs only, with theactuating connections being made to the adjacent stile of each sash, theconstruction being such that the sashes will quickly and easily followthe movements of the operating mechanism without causing undue twistingor strain on the sashes.

An additional object is to provide a window of the character alreadydescribed which may be readily equipped with an insect screen or a stormsash on the interior without in any way interfering with the operationof the window.

lice

2 horizontally by means of a plastic or other suitable weather stripattached to the upper pane and overlapping the lower pane.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a Window of thecharacter described which will be satisvfactory for use in colderclimates 'than has heretofore been possible.

Other objects of the invention include the provision of 'a louver typewindow which can be easily and inexpensively manufactured, installed andmaintained and one which is substantially fool-proof in operationregardless of weather conditions.

How the foregoing objects, together with such other objects as mayappear hereinafter or are incident to my invention, are attained, isillustrated in two Ypreferred embodiments in the accompanying drawingswherein Figure 1 is a face view of a window embodyingfmy invention,looking outwardly from the inside of the window;

Figure 2 is an enlarged end elevational view looking toward the left ofFigure l, with the sashes in closed position; l y

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2 but show- -ing the sashesin open position;

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan section taken substantially on the line 4-4of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially, asindicated, on the line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken approximately as indicated by theline 6--6 of Figure 1, with the sashes in closed position;

Figure 7 is a view Similar to that of Figure v6 but with the sashes inopen position;

Figure 8 is an enlarged plan section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 6Figure 9 is a lface view similar to that of Figure 1 but illustrating amodification in the operating mechanism;

Figure `10 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Figure V9,looking 'toward the left 'with the sashes closed;

Figure 1l is a View similar to that of Figure 10 but 'with the sashesopen;

Figure -12 is a fragmentary, greatly enlarged vertical elevation similarto that of Figure 10, with the sashes closed;

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure l2 but with the sashes open;

Figure 14 is an enlarged plan section on the line it-14 of Figure 13;

Figure l5 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially asindicated by the line 15-15 on Figure 9, with the sashes closed;

Figure 1'6 is similar to Figure 15 but with the sashes open; and

Figure 17 is a plan section on the line 1'7-17 of Figure l5.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 8 inclusive, it will be seen that I.have illustrated a louver type window having a sill member 20, a pairof upright side or jamb mem- -bers 21 and 22, and a top or header member23. A

plurality of glass sash members 24 are mounted between the jambs, eachend of each glass being provided with a supporting stile 25. A springmetal glazing strip 26 in each stile holds the glass 24 in position inthe stile, there being a rubber or other suitable resilient strip 27along the end of each glass at the inside of the window. A plastic orother suitable weather strip 28 having a U-shaped portion which titsover the edge of the glass is sprung over the bottom of each sash glass,as shown in Figure 7, said Weather strip also having a depending portionwhich overlaps the yupper yedge of the subjacent glass in order toprovide for tightness when the window is closed.

The stiles for each glass are provided with an undercut mounting slot29, facing the adjacent jamb, and projecting from the jambs into theseslots are mounting studs 30, one for each end of each glass. Weatherstripping 31 closes the gap between the face of the jamb and theadjacent face of the stile.

It will be seen from the foregoing that each sash member is supportedfor both swinging motion and transverse sliding movement on the mountingstuds, the latter in a direction which is perpendicular to the axisestablished by the studs.

At the top of each stile, at one end only of the glass, I provide aguiding pin 32 which is rigidly secured to the stile and projects towardthe adjacent face of the jamb 21. Each of these pins 32 cooperates witha guiding slot 33 formed in the jamb. These slots 33 constitute tracksor guideways for the pins.

It will be noted that the slots 33 are of a generally arcuate formalthough they are not arcs of a true circle. They are laid outgeometrically so that, as the stiles slide on the studs 30, the centerof gravity 34 of each glass will move in a substantially horizontaldirection during opening or closing movement of the window, as indicatedby the dot and dash lines 35 in Figure 7. In other words, as the loweredges of the sash members are swung outwardly and upwardly, as indicatedby the dot and dash lines 36, the pins 32 will ride in the slots 33 andguide the motion of the sashes in such manner as to provide for thissubstantially horizontal motion of the center of gravity of each sash.It will be apparent, therefore, that when the window is being opened the.upper edges of the sash members will move inwardly and downwardlybetween the jambs while the lower edges will move upwardly and outwardlyand, at the same time, the sashes will slide on the studs 30 in order topermit the bodily or in-and-out translational movement thereof whichoccurs as the pins 32 follow the arc of the guiding slots 33.

The sashes are actuated by means of an operating lever 37 housed withinthe jamb member 21, as shown to best advantage in Figure 4. The innerend of this lever is pivotally connected to one of the mounting studswhich is made slightly longer for this purpose, as indicated at 30a inFigure 4. The opposite end of the lever projects through a slot in thejamb member 21 and at a point between its ends the lever is pivotallyconnected to a vertically extending operating rod 38 by means of a pen39 carried by the rod, there being a slot 39a in the lever 37 in orderto permit the non-radial motion of the pin 39 which occurs duringoperation of the window. When the window is closed the lever 37 occupiesthe position shown in Figure 2 and when the window is fully open itoccupies the position shown in Figure 3, from a comparison of whichfigures it will be seen that the lever swings upon the stud 30a.

The vertical operating rod 38 is of sufficient length to be pivotallyconnected to the upper edge portion of the stile of each glass-suchpivotal connections being made upon the pins 32. Therefore, as thewindow is opened, this rod 38 remains vertical but moves inwardly anddownwardly from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown inFigure 3 and, as it does so, it serves to move the upper edge of each ofthe sashes inwardly and downwardly in vthe manner already described.

In order to properly position the several members of the operatingmechanism, a spacing washer 40 is introduced between the rod 38 and theoperating lever 37 (see Figure 4), and another spacer 41 is introducedbetween the vertical rod 38 and the inner face of the jamb (see Figure5).

The modification illustrated in Figures 9 to 17 inclusive, accomplishesthe same general result as the modication of Figures 1 to 8 inclusivebut the details of the operating mechanism are somewhat dilerent as willnow appear. Instead of a series of pins 32 operating in geometricallylaid out slots 33, as in Figures l to 8, I guide the movement of thesashes in Figures 9 to 17 by means of a series of pivoted arms 42-onefor each sash. Each of these arms is pivoted at one end to the jamb 21aby means of a construction illustrated to best advantage in Figure 14.In this ligure the pin 43 fits within a bushing 44, the outside of whichis square or some other shape which will prevent it from turning in thearm 42 and the operating lever 37a. Surrounding the outside of thebushing 44 is a circular sleeve bearing member 45, the interior of whichis made to conform with the exterior of the sleeve 44 so that the twoparts move in unison with the bearing member 45 rotating or turning inthe face wall of the jamb. Suitable spacing washers are introduced ateach side of the bearing member 45, as clearly shown in Figure 14.

The other end of each of the operating arms 42 is pinned to the adjacentstile 25 by means of a pin 32a, there being a suitable spacing washer 46between the arm 42 and the face of the stile.

It will also be noticed that the face of the jamb 21a is provided with avertically extending extruded portion 47, which is adapted to close thegap between the jamb and the stile, which gap is made necessary byvirtue of the fact that the arms 42 must lie between the jamb 21a andthe plane of the stiles. A suitable weather strip 48 may be incorporatedat the point of contact between the extruded portion 47 and the faces ofthe Stiles. In the region of the adjacent end of each arm 42, the sidewall of the extruded portion 47 is cut away or slotted to the extentnecessary to accommodate the movement of the arm 42.

As in the case of Figures 1 to 8 inclusive, a vertically extending rod38a is provided for constraining all of the sashes to move in unison.The operating lever 37a is pivoted to this vertical rod 38a by means ofa pin 39h corresponding to the pin 39 of Figures l to 8.

As in the case of Figures 1 to 8, the stiles 25 of Figures 9 to 17 areprovided with the under-cut slots 29, into which the jamb studs 30b areadapted to extend, these studs performing exactly the same function inFigures 9 to 17 as do the studs 30 in Figures l to 8, the onlydifference being that the studs 30b must be made slightly longer becauseof the necessity of spanning the space occupied -by the extruded portion47.

It should be noted in Figures 9 to 17 that the operating handle 37a isconnected to an arm 42 through the intermediation of the pin 43 in themanner already described. This takes care of one sash member only,namely, the middle one shown in Figures 10 and 11. The lever 37a could,of course, be applied to any one of the sash members if some otherlocation would be more convenient. For the other sashes a smallconnecting lever 37b is provided between the vertical rod 38a and thepin 43 upon which the arm 42 is carried.

Operation of the modification of Figures 9 to 17 is accomplished inessentially the same way, namely, by

movement of the operating handle or lever 37a from the positionindicated in Figure 10 to the position indicated in Figure 11. This, ofcourse, moves the operating rod 38a downwardly from the position shownin Figure 10 to the position shown in Figure 11, thereby swinging all ofthe arms 42 inwardly and downwardly because of the square bushing 44 andsimultaneously moving the upper edges of the several sash membersinwardly and downwardly during opening movement of the window. Theaction is such as to move the center of gravity 34aof each sashsubstantially horizontally except for the fact that there is a slightdip downward during the transition from fully closed to fully openposition, and vice versa, as indicated by the dot and dash lines 35a inFigure 16. In other words, the motion of the center of gravity in thismodification is not quite horizontal throughout the entire length oftravel of the center of gravity but it is substantially horizontal and,for all practical purposes,

accomplishes the same thing as is accomplished by the geometrically laidout slots 33 in Figures 1 to 8. The reason for the dilerence is to befound in the fact that the arms 42, of course, cannot vary their motionbut must swing in a true arc around the pins 43. However, all of theadvantages incident to my invention are obtained to a substantiallyequal degree by means of the mechanism of either embodiment.

I should like to emphasize the fact that my invention provides for avery nice balance of the parts of the Window construction which moveduring opening and closing movements so that the window can be actuatedwith a minimum of effort and, further, that the sashes can be left inany desired position of adjustment without the necessity of providingfor any braces, stays or other holding mechanism which is a matter ofvery great convenience. Furthermore, the fact that my window is sonicely balanced makes it possible to apply all of the operatingmechanism at one end of the sashes only, the motion imparted to thesashes being carried throughout their length without undue twisting orstrain. lnsofar as I am aware, this has never been possible with anyprevious construction known to the art and it constitutes an outstandingadvantage of my invention.

My improved window construction also provides a maximum of protectionagainst the weather, especially against any driving rain regardless ofthe direction from which the rain may come. This is made possiblebecause, with my construction, the sashes are arranged to swing andslide simultaneously in such a way as to move their upper edges wellinward into the opening between the jambs but without leaving too largea gap at the top. This result is achieved by virtue of the fact that theaxes on which my sashes swing are located well above the mid points oftheir sides and that the downward sliding movement of each sash isrelatively slight. In other words, only small gaps are opened up at thetops of my sashes with an overhang on the outside which iscorrespondingly large.

I claim:

1. A window or like construction comprising a frame having jambs, headerand sill defining an opening for sashes; a plurality of sashes each ofwhich is mounted between the jambs upon a pair of opposed studsprojecting inwardly from the jambs towards the sash to provide alongitudinal axis; said mounting permitting the sash to swing about saidaxis and, simultaneously, to slide bodily and perpendicularly withrespect thereto transversely of the plane of the window opening; meanscorrelating said simultaneous sash movements so as to cause the centerof gravity of each sash to move in a substantially horizontal planeduring opening and closing movements thereof; and operating meansadapted to move all of said sashes in unison.

2. A construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein the horizontalmovement of the center of gravity is provided for by a pin on an end ofeach sash projecting into a cooperating guiding slot on the adjacentjamb.

3. A construction in accordance with claim l wherein the horizontalmovement of the center of gravity is provided for by a link for eachsash pivoted at one end to a jamb and at the other end to the sash.

4. A construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein the opposed studsproject into cooperating slots on the adjacent end of each sash.

5. A construction in accordance with claim l wherein the opposed studsproject into cooperating slots on the adjacent end of each sash and,further, wherein the horizontal movement or" the center of gravity isprovided for by a pin on an end of each sash projecting into acooperating guiding slot on the adjacent jamb.

6. A construction in accordance with claim l wherein the opposed studsproject into cooperating slots on the adjacent end of each sash and,further, wherein the horizontal movement of the center of gravity isprovided for by a link for each sash pivoted at one end to a jamb and atthe other end to the sash.

7. ln a window or like construction comprising a frame having jambs,header' and sill defining an opening; a sash mounted between the jambsupon a pair of opposed studs projecting inwardly from the jambs towardthe sash to provide a longitudinal axis; said mounting permitting thesash to swing about said axis, and simultaneously, to slide bodily andperpendicularly with respect thereto transversely of the plane of thewindow opening; a pin fixed to an end of the sash and projecting towardthe adjacent jamb; and sash operating means connected to said pin; saidoperating means being adapted to swing and slide the sash on the jambstuds as aforesaid and to correlate said movements of the sash so as tocause the center of gravity to move in a substantially horizontal plane.

8. In a window or like construction comprising a frame having jambs,header and sill defining an opening; a plurality of sashes having a sloton eac-h end facing the adjacent jamb; a stud projecting from each jambinto the adjacent slot on each sash at a point between the ends of theslot; the sashes being swingable about said studs and, simultaneously,slidable bodily and perpendicularly with respect thereto transversely ofthe plane of the window opening; a pin at the upper corner of the sameend of each sash projecting toward the adjacent jamb; a slot in the jambopposite each pin; an operating rod connecting said pins andconstraining them to move in unison; and a lever device for moving therod to open or close the sashes; said pins being arranged to projectinto and slide lin said slots and said slots being formed to correlatesaid sash movements so as to cause the center of gravity to move in asubstantially horizontal plane.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,858,289 Tracy May 17, 1932 2,565,447 Andresen et al Aug. 2l, l95l2,607,962 Baumann Aug. 26, 1952 2,622,672 Thomas Dec. 23, 1952 2,658,750Soule Nov. 10, 1953 2,684,735 Markley July 27, 1954 2,743,796 Focht etal. May l, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 583,577 Great Britain Dec. 20, 1946UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Pateni'l Noo2,850,773 September 9g 1958 William B; Brimmer Ib is hereby certifiedthat error appears in the printed epeeifieetion.

of 'the above numbered patent requiring eorreotion and that me saidLetters Pefernil should read as corrected belowo Column l, line 369 for"main" read m maintain ==f= Signed and sealed this 2nd day of Decemberl958 KARL H., AXLINE ROBERT C WATSON Attestng Officer Conmissioner ofPatents

